For at least fifty years, it has been recognized that good posture enhances the performance of various activities. As a result, various products have been developed that enhance posture while performing various office, home and recreational activities.
For example, aeronautical and automotive seats have been developed that enable operators to comfortably operate their vehicles for extended periods of time. Spectator seating for cultural and sporting events have also been enhanced so that audiences can remain comfortably seated throughout the performances.
It can be appreciated that activities requiring higher levels of physical exertion have the potential of benefiting most from using equipment that promotes good posture as the posture tends to deteriorate as the body becomes more tired.
One particular field in which breathing is particularly important is for seated musicians such as the vocalist or wind instrumentalist. In light of the limitations associated with most prior art seating for musicians, it is common for the musicians to stand or sit near the front of a chair.
A drawback of these options is that it becomes difficult to remain standing or sitting near the front of a chair throughout an entire concert or practice session. As a result of the strains placed on the body when performing while standing or sitting on the front of the chair, the musician will typically be unable to maintain this position throughout the entire concert or practice session. When this occurs, the ability of the musician to remain focused on performing or practicing is greatly reduced.
One of the first attempts to produce a chair that promotes good posture while performing music is disclosed in Wenger et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,750, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application. The Wenger et al. musicians' chair orients the back rest and seat to promote posture while performing music. While the Wenger chair had the potential of providing seated musicians with enhanced posture, these benefits were only fully realized when the musician properly sat in the Wenger chair.